I am a cricketer, not a terrorist: Chandila

Disgraced off-spinner Ajit Chandila said he was stunned after being slapped with the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

Chandila was one of three cricketers arrested by Delhi Police on May 16 as part of spot-fixing investigations that also led to the apprehension of several bookies and a small-time Bollywood actor. While S Sreesanth and Ankit Chavan were granted bail on June 10, Chandila was let out on a three-day bail, which ended Monday, to attend the last rites of his elder brother.

"My family and I are in a state of shock that such charges are being levelled against me, I am a cricketer not a terrorist," said Chandila on Monday.

Like the other two cricketers, Chandila pleads he is innocent despite video footage indicating that he had bowled certain overs, apparently at the behest of bookies in exchange for money. Rajasthan Royals, the IPL teams these three played for, terminated their contracts while the BCCI suspended the cricketers.

"I have no clue about the spot-fixing controversy. I have never been approached by anybody. I am absolutely unaware of this," he said.

Chandila sounded mystified with the slapping of MCOCA chargers and said the development came as a shock: "I don't want to say anything. I am shocked. It is a tragedy for me and my family. I don't even know what will happen to me. I also don't know what is MCOCA. When my lawyer told me the details of the law, I was shocked and devastated."

The off-spinner said his desire to buy expensive clothes and accessories did not fuel him to any wrong means and that he had fulfilled all his needs with his own hard-earned money.

"Each cricketer participating in Ranji or IPL gets paid handsomely. Everyone likes wearing good clothes and watches. It is not that this is possible with wrong means. In fact, we're paid enough that we don't have to resort to any wrong means. As far as my lifestyle is concerned, everybody wants to wear good clothes, shades, etc. So, if I had been spending on myself, it is my personal choice and nobody should be concerned about that.

"My dream was to become a cricketer and I've worked very hard to achieve that. My performances in the past two seasons of IPL are a testament to that. God willing, I'll soon make a comeback," he said.